A Sudden Shift in Music Taste – Because of the Internet
Often a popular dinner topic people ask, if you were stranded on an island what is the one thing you would bring with you? For music lovers the answer is no doubt one of their favorite albums. But for many music lovers like myself, it’s not a question met with a simple answer. To answer what album I would bring to a remote island, we have to flashback to a younger high-school version of myself. Back then when it came to music I only knew two words, “rock” and “roll”. Part of this was largely due to being the product of my dad’s music taste and hearing nothing else but the prime grunge artists of the 90’s. The top hit pop songs at the time weren’t to my liking as I had that traditional “disco sucks” grunge mentality. But all that changed come December of 2013 when my friend had mentioned a new album Because of The Internet by Childish Gambino. This would be the album that would act as introduction to the world of hip hop and rap for me. The introduction that would be responsible for my future love of rap artists that would be significant in my time throughout high school.
In this way the album that was the gateway for music that would be of significance to me is one of the most significant of all. Before Because of the Internet was released it was preceded by a promotional campaign that included a confessional series of Instagram posts about depression and fear, frank talk about mortality in interviews, but most importantly a 76-page, four-act screenplay that shares a title with the album. This was not only my introduction to hip hop and rap but the idea of a concept album. It was this that made me truly fall in love with the idea that an album could have a whole story within and beyond the music. Engulfed in this idea of a story I read the the screenplay in its entirety and realized that the song prompts in the screenplay made the album to be less of just another stand-alone release than the full-fledged audio component to an innovative and daring multi-platform media project in which music and writing collided to complement and even explain each other.
An album that was appropriately named theme revolved around the worst and best parts of living in the Internet age and about the internet itself. Starting with the first track after the intro, the first act song I.Crawl conveys a robust and trappy beat with a boastful attitude full of lyrics that reference drugs, threats, and nods to females, all of which are staples of the stereotypical “Rap Twitter” culture. The start of the first act which primarily focuses on the narcissistic, carefree personas that are prevalent on social media. Explaining how many people on the internet present themselves in a certain light to compensate for issues in their day to day lives. Obviously, this isn’t the case with everyone, but in this act Gambino’s character seems to just be indulging in normal internet behavior, but as we later in the act in track II. Worldstar it is more likely that this is a facade. A way to receive adoration from random strangers to fill whatever void is present with lyrics like,
“Nobody think about it worst case
Best case, we the front page
10K on the first day
Yeah, motherfucker, take your phone out
To record this
Ain’t nobody can ignore this
I’m more or less, a moral-less individual”
The second act, my personal favorite, switches notes and deals with Gambino realizing that there is an alternative way he can fill the void in his day to day life, through relations with women. It also deals with the ideas of unreciprocated love in track two of act two, II. Shadows, with the girl Gambino wanting not answering his emails as seen in the song. Following this song is the hit of the album V. 3005. Many people confuse this song with a love anthem as in the song, Gambino has gotten the girl from Shadows and the lyrics read like a love song where Gambino professes all that he would do for this girl.
“No matter what you say or what you do
When I’m alone, I’d rather be with you”
But as Gambino explained in an interview, “Everybody’s like, ‘It’s a love song,’ it’s kind of an existential thing. I’m just really scared of being alone.” Going on further to say it all really another form of compensation, just like how couples online will portray a healthy relationship on Twitter or Instagram even though there may be deep rooted issues hidden away that people don’t see.
Link to Interview Details:
No doubt this is a lot to comprehend and its only half of the album. It took me quite a while to understand the narrative of this project but is part of the reason I love it so much and would bring it along with me to a desert island. The beauty of a concept album and this album is it takes work to fully understand it. You don’t just listen one time and immediately like the album because it sounded neat or was catchy. You love it because you listen to it over and over again and become invested in understanding the narrative taking place.
The third act is introduced by the song Playing Around Before the Party Starts. An instrumental of a lonely piano playing within an empty room which marks the end of the masking phase of the narrative. As Gambino sits alone at his piano before “the party” (the next track), he realizes his loneliness and isolation. That the people on the internet aren’t his real friends or supporters. All his “friends” are in reality just virtual. Here Gambino explores his newfound realization of loneliness, in an era where everyone is always connected because of the internet, feeling alone is even more of a difficult task to accomplish.
The final act ends with Gambino arriving finally at some sort of contorted peace, knowing that he will never be happy in his life, and showing his apathy take over his psyche until he becomes completely numb. It starts with the song I. Pink Toes, an out of place love song amidst the wasteland of self-doubt and sadness, representing how he can forget his pains through love. However the act later transition to the harrowing third track III. Life: the Biggest Troll. I normally hear a new meaning every time I listen to this song and it could be analyzed countless ways. But the one that makes the most sense in the narrative of the album is Gambino realizes that life is just a cruel unforgiving game which we are forced to play regardless of our willingness. Every happy moment is countered by countless ones that are opposite. He compares life to an internet troll, constantly taunting you with allusions of happiness, only to take it all away for its own twisted amusement. The last few lines of the album reflect a cold, unforgiving reality that has been portrayed throughout the album, “Life’s the biggest troll but the joke is on us, yeah the joke’s you showed up.”
And there ends what is a rich and profound narrative. One that would open my eyes to the beauty of just how much of an art form hip hop and rap could be and inspired me to explore the genre more. It’s this complexity of writing and design of the album that would make it my go to album on an island. The album, aside from its personal connection with me, is so intricate with its four-act style that can be listened to over and over again to try and understand all that is happening. Truly a masterpiece that not only acts as a great listen but as a great read with its collaborative use of music and writing to create a beautiful concept album.
Link to Screenplay:
Jacob's ASEM Music Blog 